balrog-kun

So as I understand, the Vref voltage is the zero rate voltage which you can compare the X and Y outputs against. Does anyone have any experience in whether this actually helps the accuracy or reduces it because of the doubled ADC noise? (You have to convert both the X/Y and the Vref to digital, so when you subtract them, the noise is doubled) On the other hand I suppose that if the 3.3V supply is unstable, using Vref reduces the X/Y instability. So, using the 3.3V output from an Arduino 2009, and the AVR’s ADC, is the Vref any useful really?
Also has anyone tried to measure the noise of the 4x outputs compared to the 1x outputs? I would assume 4x would give you better accuracy, but does it really?

Actually if you have a good precision magnetometer I think you can get by without the gyro. Obviously this is not the case here because you can only get 5 magnetometer readings per sec, but I’m thinking that with the addition of a single 3-axis gyro you get everything you need for an intelligent quadcopter autopilot.
I was just about to order a bunch of sensors + a GPS for my future autopilot, but I started browsing the available GPSes and found this one and I’m now seriously thinking about using just this GPS + a gyro. If I’m not mistaken, it looks from the datasheet like you can reset the GPS’s internal position/orientation keeping to some value, doesn’t really matter what value, and it will try to keep track of your movement even without a GPS signal? Basically a 6DOF ready to use AHRS. I guess I need to try it. I’m also thinking that the 5Hz magnetometer readings can be used to correct the gyro values to make it basically drift-proof.
Has anyone been able to solder wires to the pads and make it work?

SparkFun is an online retail store that sells the bits and pieces to
make your electronics projects possible. Whether it's a robot that can
cook your breakfast or a GPS cat tracking device, our products and
resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible.

In addition to products, SparkFun also offers
classes and online tutorials to help educate
individuals in the wonderful world of embedded electronics.